Degrading Conscience
by HollyinSanest
Summary: In a mission gone awry, Sherry was presumed dead. The poor girl was even given a funeral, for goodness sake. Carla's tyranny was just the tip of the ice berg, there was actually more involved. Only three people can do something about this and one of them believes that Sherry's still alive and kicking somewhere. LeonXAda, JakeXSherry. Rated T. Reviews, please. : D
1. Chapter 1: I Love you No Less

**Author's note: Characters are all CAPCOM's, not mine. Alright, something to keep my hands busy with while I brainstorm for some more interesting things to write about.**

**Degrading Conscience**

**1. I Love You No Less**

The day Sherry Birkin's funeral was held wasn't one of those sunny days. Rain pounded mercilessly on the people gathered around her grave as the casket was lowered. It wasn't that of a big event either. Claire Redfield had always had a special connection with that girl, even as she wept, she could not bring herself to look at her close friend standing beside her. The day she had met Sherry played in her head like a broken record. The brave young girl who had put the two people who had saved her as an example. Claire had remembered how proud she had felt when Sherry had called her to announce that she had made it to the DSO. A week later, they met up and had a good time. They were more than friends. Sherry was almost her sister.

"This isn't right, there isn't even a body", Claire said mostly to herself but he had heard her.

Leon Kennedy had lost some people before. He was no stranger to lost. This time, things were different. He regretted the day he had to bury someone he'd known for a long while, even if it was an empty casket. Word was that what's left of Agent Birkin weren't even ashes as she was presumed to be blown to bits but some samples taken from the scene had identified to be her DNA. Hunnigan had done the right thing when she had called him immediately when she heard of the mission gone awry. Leon didn't care about himself at the moment, he would allow himself time to grief but it would always be later. In fact, he was worried of Claire's reaction the day he had gotten the news of Sherry's death. He'd wanted to check on Jake Muller but the other man wasn't taking any of his calls.

People deal with grief in many ways. The way he dealt with it was in silent anguish. _People died all the time_, Leon thought to himself, _what a shame it had to be her_.

Even as the funeral had come to an end and with the small crowd dispersing, Leon found himself standing next to Claire. The whole time, he had been the one who held a black umbrella over her head, so it was no surprise that he was soaking wet.

He didn't know what else he could say to Claire. There were no words that could describe his friend's tragedy. During raccoon City, Claire had been the one who was closer to Sherry.

"Claire, I'm so sorry", he mumbled, giving her a hug. "Why don't you stay at my place for a couple of days?"

The only reply he gets was a small nod.

Later that night, he was finishing up on his report on something he had to do over last weekend when Ada Wong came over. It was one of those days when she'd visit him, the vacation time she would spend with only him when she wasn't busy with her spy work. It took them months for them to get use to their relationship. He would always be here waiting . As for Ada, she would always come back, she had made him a promise that she would no longer disappear for more than a month without word. This was the only way for them to take on a higher degree of their relationship without having to give up a big chunk of any of their old lives.

"Hey, handsome", she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a kiss. "Wanna tell me why there's another woman in our place?"

When he didn't reply her, she sensed immediately that something was wrong.

In a much more serious tone, she whispered, "What is it?"

"It's nothing", he mumbled. "Claire's just coping".

Then, he didn't say anything else.

Ada knew that asking him more questions would get her no further answers. She ran herself through the shower and got dinner ready. The last time she had Leon cook, they had ended up eating spaghetti out of the can, so she had agreed that cooking would be something she would definitely be doing if she was around. Dinner carried was carried on with more silence between the three of them. Claire had just stared lifelessly at the food in front of her. Minutes later, she started sobbing silently.

She had barely touched anything in the end. Ada noticed Leon ate but he did that in the most mechanized way possible. He helped out with the dishes but remained quiet the whole while.

Something was definitely up.

By the time Claire was fast asleep in the guestroom, it was almost the next day. Ada spotted Leon on the couch, his head in his palms as if he was fighting off a bad headache. His shoulders that were hunched in defeat, moved a little. It took her time to notice that he was crying.

"Leon", she whispered softly, taking a seat beside him.

"She's gone, just gone", he sobbed. "Sherry's dead".

"Oh, sweetheart", she murmured.

She had gotten to know Sherry after the whole Carla wreaking havoc to the world thing. The young girl was bright and constantly buzzing with energy, reminding Ada of herself way before she had met Leon. It dawned on her how upset Claire had been would be connected to the loss of that particular young girl given the fact of the Raccoon City incident had strengthened their bond. Which explained why Leon would be crying now. He was also quite fond of that girl. Ada knew that even she could not heal this wound that was inflicted on the two people in the world that she had cared the most. She could do nothing.

"It's going to be okay", she whispered, laying a hand on her lover's shoulder. "Because I'm going to kill whoever who did this".

Leon stared at her for a moment. Initially, he was shocked not at the fact that he was reminded that Ada was capable of killing but he was surprised that she'd actually cared. He believed that Sherry would want him to take up her offer. A little avenging sounded good.

"No", he said, stroking her cheek. "We will".

She gave him a wry smile and a sure nod.

They sat together in silence comforted by the fact that they were able to do something now.

**TWO DAYS LATER**

"She's not dead", Jake Muller said those words with full confidence. "She can't die".

He had seen the footage. Sherry aiming a gun at someone off the camera, then a bright flash. She looks behind and runs off camera. Then an explosion of flames that wrecked everything even the connection. Then, Sherry was gone like the wind.

But she wasn't dead.

There was no concrete proof that she was dead even if the whole place was reported to be wrecked beyond recognition. She could have managed to escape.

He knew she can't die. She had told him herself when she had a large piece of shrapnel stuck to her back. Pull it out, she'd told him. He did. And she healed up fine.

So, she can never die.

And she wasn't dead.

She certainly doesn't feel dead to him.

He didn't know where he was. This room felt somewhat similar to the one in Lanshiang when he and Sherry had been captured by the people who called themselves Neo-Umbrella, when they had been taken by the woman who called herself Ada Wong. He remembered Ada, the real one, and wondered where she was at the moment. They had worked together later when he had joined the BSAA where in one occasion, she had taken a hit that was meant for him. Even from his mercenary days, he had never encountered a woman so efficient and versatile in her work before. If only she was close, maybe he had a chance of her busting him out at the moment.

Then, maybe they could go rescue Sherry afterwards.

He suddenly felt as if he was being watched. He looked over his shoulder and saw Sherry standing by the door. She was dressed just as she had from the short footage. He looked away.

"Jake", she murmured, her voice still cheerful. "Give up. It's over".

He shook his head.

"No, you're not her! Sherry wouldn't say something like that", he snarled. "You're just something my sick head made up".

"Well, what would your real Sherry say then?" she asked humorously.

"She would tell me to keep fighting", he said. "This room is probably gassed or something".

"I _am _real, Jake", she frowned at him. "Maybe I'm ghost now".

"Great, don't you have someone else to haunt?" he muttered. "I'm a little busy trying to think of a way to escape".

Sherry folded her arms. "Alright, someone's coming any moment now. That'll be your chance".

"What do you mean?" he asked but there was no reply.

He glanced her way and she wasn't there. It was just him. Alone.

"Told _you_ you're not real", he snorted.

Just as she had told him, there was someone on the other side of the secured door. Jake move swiftly to the side of the door, pressing his back flat against the white wall. Just as the door slid open, he had the person in a chokehold.

"Ready to get out of here, Muller?" a very familiar voice asked in amusement.

He immediately released Ada. The spy didn't look like she had minded the fact that he had nearly took her out. She offered him a coy smile, tossing him a duffel bag.

"What took you so long, Miss Wong?" he grinned, pulling out a tactical vest and two handguns from the duffel. "You alone?"

"Oh, please, it's just Ada, not Miss Wong or whatever else. Leon's here", she told him while she peered at the room. She noticed the camera at the corner and gave it a wave. "Well, he's somewhere. My best bet is the security room".

"What's this place?" he asked out of interest.

"Some kind of Neo-Umbrella branch, we're in Brazil", Ada flicked off the safety of her gun. "In a place like this, I'd expect to encounter that cheap knock-off bitch again".

"Huh. You're sexier, by the way", Jake pointed out. They made their way to a series of levels. Given the way the structure was designed, it looked like it might be built underground. The facility was quiet, nobody seemed to be around at all which creeped Jake out a little. True to her word, they found Leon in the security room, destroying a bunch of footage on Jake (after he'd gotten a copy, of course).

"Good to see you, old man", Jake smirked in greeting.

"Jake", Leon gave him a manly thump on the back.

"Now that we're all here, it would be a shame if we didn't take a complete tour", Ada perched on the table near the screens, flipping through a stack of files with Jake's name on it.

"Fine with me. Now, tell me honestly. What brings you here?" Jake asked.

Pain flashed through Leon's expression. "Jake, there's something …I'm sorry, Sherry's gone".

"Naw, it's alright. We'll find her", Jake shrugged, walking off.

Leon watched the younger man walked away, a little shocked by Jake's statement.

He glanced at Ada and caught her looking worried too. Maybe Jake probably didn't know about Sherry yet, or had he assumed that she was just missing and not actually dead. He pained the day that he would have to tell Jake the truth about why they were here.

"We'll have to watch out for that one", Ada remarked, shaking her head. "He might lose it".

"Yeah, I know. No telling what he's capable of ", Leon muttered.

Jake strolled along the hallway he and Ada had taken a moment ago. He wasn't straying far from the other two, he just needed some time to think alone. He reached into the pocket of his worn-out pants, retrieving a photograph of Sherry. He traced the side of her face, feeling enlightened that now she would be alright. He was able to get to her now.

"Just hold on. We're coming Sherry. I love you", he whispered.

**Author's note: Is Sherry really gone? And Neo-Umbrella again? Curious? Stick around and find out. Oh and reviews, please and thank you. I really need to have some feedback to this so I can find a reason to write more often. : D**


	2. Chapter 2: The Higher We Are

**Author's Note: I don't own any of the rights to these characters in this story. It's just SAD, right? Oh, and so's the other non RE characters in here, you would start to notice if you do read books of multiple genres (though it won't be that obvious). FYI, this fanfic was written between caffeine induced hyperness and wild imagination driven in two am in the morning just because I had my bout of severe insomnia. I decided what the heck, I'll just have to do something other than to stare at my TV this early in the morning (well, it was this or back to Ultimate Vault Hunter continuation in Borderlands 2). The last bit of this story was continued a day later…Hey, I don't know why I'm telling you all this, since it's **_**POINTLESS**_**. **

**But I really do hope you all enjoy this. Sorry for the wait, I had to spend time perfecting this story's storyline in my head before actually writing it down. **

**XOXO**

**Degrading Conscience**

**2. The Higher We Are, The Harder We Fall**

**FIVE WEEKS AGO**

Sherry Birkin had joined the DSO for two reasons. The first official one was that she was just following in the footsteps of one of the people she'd known. Leon Kennedy was one of the two people who had saved her back in Raccoon City, it was clearly fair that she would want to show what she was capable of by following in his footsteps.

The other reason was more personal.

She had wanted to prove to herself that she was completely different than her parents. Her parents who hadn't really cared about her back when she was ignorant to the world. William Birkin had literally turned himself into a monster in an attempt to fend his G virus from being taken by the Umbrella Corporation. Annette Birkin had died explaining _nothing_ to her daughter. Sherry wasn't keeping herself blind, she'd read the files, known what her parents had done. It did a lot of good, explaining the moments when they had actually weren't there for her, the nights she'd been alone to tuck herself in bed, the times she had spent by herself. She'd seen herself as an independent child, not knowing what her parents had been doing all along.

Unbeknownst to her, they had also used her in a way. Thanks to them, she now had abilities no normal human should have. Which got her to a large amount of intrusive tests she'd gotten from all sorts of people she couldn't remember.

So, she had to prove to herself that she wasn't going to be the monsters her parents had become, to avoid that special place in hell that were reserved for people like her parents.

She was starting to regret at the moment. She could have lived a normal life, stayed far away from the bioterror wrecked world she lived in now. But it was too late. Neo-Umbrella, the new company that rose with Carla Radames's effort had been responsible for their actions in multiple places throughout the world and Derek Simmons, her supervisor once upon a time, had taken the fall. Carla (under the disguise of Ada Wong) in truth hadn't worked alone, there were traces of funds coming in from an unknown benefactor. Until recently, Sherry was just aware of the fact that Simmons was just a pawn for what's to come.

She was accustomed to be working alone. In fact, she wasn't sure that if the other agents were keen to be working with her. They didn't know how much of a freak she was and she didn't know if she could bring herself to tell anyone else besides Jake about her healing abilities.

Which probably led to this place.

What surprised her the most was the fact that this wasn't particularly hidden well at all. The complex that was built in the reserve seemed almost serene, though nobody would feel comfortable after seeing the holding pens. She was sure that the BOWs that were held for some sick experiment here were too weak to fight or had all the fight they had, beaten out of them. Clutching her Sig tighter, she made a swift turn at the cornering. There was no one. The building seemed vacated.

It didn't make sense.

She reached for the locked door, about to yank it open when someone else opened it. She aimed the gun at him until recognition sets in. She had seen him before, maybe they'd even had a small conversation in an elevator (when? she couldn't tell). He was of average height, slightly muscled, dark auburn haired and had one of those faces that could never reveal his age. Muddy green eyes that stared back humorously at her.

"What are you doing here?" she scowled.

Just then, the ground under her feet began to rumble. Faint booming noises could be heard. She looked behind her, eyes widening as she noticed roaring flames approaching them.

"What's is happening?" she exclaimed, running past him. That gave them time to bar the fire deterrent doors from the oncoming flames. Heat radiated around her, warm enough for it to be a worry.

"I'll explain later. We need to get you out", he said, grabbing hold of her arm and dragging her.

"No, let go", she pulled back. "Why isn't there anyone around?"

More explosive noises boomed around them.

"It's hard to explain", he winced.

"Are you working for or with _them_?" she had barely noticed how harsh she had sounded as she had demanded the answer from him.

"That I can assure you, Birkin. I'm never on their side".

**PRESENT DAY**

"They're being careful around you", her voice carried spite that his Sherry wasn't capable of, part of an accumulating evidence that she wasn't who she claimed to be. He ignored her. The DSO agent and the spy didn't seem to notice his on-going conversation with _unreal_ Sherry. He was grateful of that.

"They think you're a loose cannon", Sherry told him, her voice still wasn't the Sherry he'd gotten to know.

_You're not her. You're not her. You're not her. You're not her._

He chanted those words in his head like a mantra. It was the only way he could prevent himself from looking at her, from noticing how close she looked like his Sherry even if she didn't speak like the real deal.

This was proof that he was losing his head.

"Hey, hear that?" Leon called from the front, stopping the other two from taking another step. Jake strained to hear for any anomalies in the Neo-Umbrella facility. There was it, someone's hoarse cry for attention. It sounded like a yell that had a string of unidentifiable words and syllables jumbled up from the distance they were in.

Without a word, the trio raced towards the sound.

The tunnels of the facility that they'd taken were straightforward which probably would be a problem if there were a viral outbreak. There were no blind spots, every single passage was visible, every single room exposed. This was their advantage. They managed to get themselves towards some sort of observatory. Leon would have imagined something horrible but they just came upon a man yelling profanities in an one way glass enclosed room.

"Looks like the only living being we've encountered so far", Ada remarked, peering at the man who didn't seem to notice them.

"Get him out", Leon motioned for Jake to cover his back as he worked on picking the locked door on their right. "He'll sure have something to tell us about this place".

The shouting stopped.

"Ada, what's he doing?" Leon asked, still meddling with the lock.

"You'd better hurry on. He's trying to look through the glass", she purred.

"No harm done", he chuckled. It took him five lock picks to get the door to open. Before anyone could react, the man inside grabbed Leon by the front of his Kevlar vest and kneed him on the gut. Leon jerked aside, giving space for Jake to intervene. In a blink of an eye, it was over, with the Neo-Umbrella's former captive being shoved face first against the wall.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jake snarled in the other man's ear.

"You cowards, kill me already! All you people ever did was to lock me up and watch me like an animal", the other man spluttered.

In a manner of a reply, Jake rammed him against the wall . He caught sight of Leon shaking his head subtly at him, as if to say that violence wasn't needed at the moment.

"We're not Neo-Umbrella, you dope", Jake said, releasing the other man.

"What were you doing in there?" Ada asked out of pure curiosity since none of the other two were going to do the important questions.

The captive hesitated.

"It's a long story", he finally finished off lamely.

"We've got time", Leon shrugged.

"No, we don't. Sherry's still out there", Jake argued. Pulling out his handgun from his shoulder holster, he stuck it under the man's nose and demanded. "Who are you, tell us".

"Hunter Savoy, I work for the DSO…it's my first year".

"Then, you're in good hands", Leon said with a grin, shoving away the younger man's weapon. "You know a way out of this shithole?"

"I'm not sure", Savoy said shakily.

"Wait, DSO, right? Do you know Sherry?" Jake showed Sherry's photo to the man.

"I've seen her before. But no, we didn't actually talked much", Savoy said, looking apologetically at the mercenary turned BSAA agent.

"Boys, now that's all very sweet but have you any clue what this facility holds? If I'm correct, there's always a kill code that'll destroy any Umbrella owned facility. We could do some permanent damage here", Ada pointed out. "I mean, if you're up for it".

"No point in doing so", Leon snorted. "We could scavenge as much evidence as we can get. There should be leads pointing out where the other facilities are".

"Less explosive, but better", Ada sighed, getting up from one of the observatory seats that she was resting in when the boys were getting Savoy out. She stretched her lithe form languidly before carrying on the way they were going.

"Man, she's hot", Savoy muttered. That earned him a glare from Leon and a silent death threat form Jake (on Leon's behalf). Just as they were leaving, Leon noticed that there was a camera pointing towards the observatory room. He flipped it open to expose an old reel of film inside it.

_Should come in handy if I got the time_, he said to himself as he shoved it into the duffel bag.

It took them more or less half an hour to scout the abandoned facility. Savoy managed to fill them in on his mission, which was generally to report on any Neo-Umbrella activity to the management. It may seem like the new company had emerged on a global scale from the havoc it had wrecked earlier on. Even if the storm's calmed, there seem to be large possibilities that Neo-Umbrella was still going about, just maybe it was laying low for a while. Rather than to face another bioterror attack, it would be better to prevent it from happening. That was when Savoy came in, with a close unsanctioned mission with one of the BSAA's top agents, he had managed to get intel on a few possible places of the new company's whereabouts.

Savoy talked and they listened to his accounts.

Ada seemed amused by the fact that Carla, although dead, had still managed to leave a legacy behind. She still couldn't believe that the woman had managed to keep business ties going, even after her death.

"- and then this! Of all places, I wake up in here", Savoy said, excitement infused in his voice. They may have been the only people he had seen for weeks. He accounted how he had been fed, but for a day before they came.

"So, you guys know where you are?" Savoy questioned, motioning for them to follow him.

"Huh?" Leon grunted, holding a cardboard box filled with some interesting files he'd picked from some file room they'd passed moments ago.

"This elevator goes up to the main entrance", Savoy said proudly. "Looks like studying the facility's layouts before bedtime always pays off".

"Wait, how do we know that there's nobody up there who would be shooting at us when we stroll past the front doors?" Ada noticed how paranoia comes along with age as the three of them stared at Leon for his ridiculous question.

"They won't", Savoy shrugged. He was the first to get into the elevator, giving the others an odd look when they hung back. Ada sighed and joined him, deciding that if they had to take the damn elevator to get out of here, she would do just that. Leon followed suit. Then, Jake. It was as if the other two were getting reliant on her instincts.

They ended up in what seemed to be an old pawn store which had been closed. The three combat clad people shrugged off their gear. Once done, Ada managed the shuttered front door, letting the others out. The streets were crowded. Bustling people who either didn't notice that they were coming out of an abandoned store or that just nobody cared about them.

"Huh, whadaya know? Welcome to Rio de Janeiro, people", Savoy crowed, picking up a leaflet with the invitation to the Carnival on it.

**LATER**

They had their own room to themselves since Jake had agreed to watch over Savoy. Rio bustled busily around them, the thrill of the upcoming Carnival had brought in the stream of eager tourists. It was easy enough to blend in although they had to rely on Hunnigan to get them a place for the night.

She felt him caress her back, his hands were moist and warm, the rest of him smelling of soap-evidence that he'd just taken a shower.

"What is that?" he asked, murmuring the question into her ear. She knew he was looking at the two computers running the scans. One was from the DSO database, the other was from the list of government agents from various agencies.

"Running some scans to see if our man is who he is", Ada whispered back. She knew that it was probably paranoia that was rubbing on her but every single instinct screamed for her to thread carefully. She wasn't taking any chances no matter how good the story she was told.

She felt his hot breath against her neck. "Don't need to. Hunnigan's already doing that".

"Hmph, it's a lesser chance for us getting a false positive", Ada murmured. "And if you keep working that _poor _woman hard enough, you'll have to start paying her".

"Ada Wong with a good conscience, I starting to fall for her", he chuckled, turning her around on the stool so that they were facing each other.

She made a disapproving noise and slapped him on his arm. "But you already did. Don't get used to it".

He smirked, hugging her close. She knew he'd always reserved enough of his affection for her throughout the day, only expressing most of it when they were left alone together.

"We should really thank Hunter for leading us out. He sure proved himself today", Leon whispered into her ear.

"I don't think so", she murmured. He pulled away with a questioning look at her.

"You should see this", Ada said, hoping that it would be enough to explain. He stared at the two screens, processing this little bit of information.

"Shit", he mumbled.

Just then, his phone started buzzing.

"Hunnigan", Leon said, still distracted by what Ada had shown him.

"I ran the name you've given me through our database and came up with absolutely nothing. But the ID you've sent resulted with a name Dave Wright, who had joined around six months ago, former DEA agent. I'd expect for it to be a whole lot of paperwork trail but there's none on the man you requested", Hunnigan told them. "It's like he doesn't seem to have anything else besides his up front identity".

"We know", Ada said impatiently.

"What do you mean? Where are you two anyway?" the woman behind the desk asked.

"He's not who he says he is", Ada hissed, mostly to herself.

Leon and Ada promptly left the second question unanswered.

"Check on Agent Wright for his ID, it's probably stolen. Our man's not DSO at all", Leon pointed out, making sure that the picture on the computer screens was the man staying two doors away.

"_Not DSO_? Then who is he?" Ingrid could barely hide the surprise in her tone.

"CIA".

**Author's Note: Well, this would mean the third chapter would be out soon, since I'm the kind of person who would come up with the plot's improvement at one go. If you do notice, most of my RE fanfics are interconnected and I'll leave the timelines to your good reader's imagination. You'll notice some reoccurring characters (villains and non-RE characters, which I'm inspired from elsewhere and aren't usually mine). So, keep reading and I'll appreciate some input on how this story may go-**_**the ending in my head is kind of a bummer at the moment-**_**so give me any requests sans character deaths. REMEMBER…Valuable inputs appreciated, reviews please and thank you. : D**


	3. Chapter 3: Psychic Visions

**Author's Note: Hello, I'm a girl with no life at all, that's why I choose to entertain people using these characters which aren't mine (**_**they're all CAPCOM's**_**) in order to fill in the gaps between studying and when I'm **_**actually**_** writing something that's actually fully mine. I choose not to lament on the fact that CAPCOM owns all the rights to these characters on all of my fanfics and instead start to come up with something actually nice in a way.**

***Oh, and pay no mind to the title. I was just listening to a song from Electric Six by the same two words. It's more like a love song btw***

**If you're still hanging on, here's the third chapter, I've made sure there's a little hints (**_**subtle ones…I can't just blab everything out, you know**_**) as sort of a thanks for all your lovely and encouraging comments. Thank you for your continuous reading!**

**Degrading Conscience**

**3. Psychic Visions**

**FIVE HOURS AGO**

"WHERE IS SHE?" he shouted, the barrel of his gun pointed at the man in front of him. "Tell me now!"

The man just stuttered, words that came out of his mouth weren't the answers Jake had sought. The more the man pleaded, the more it felt right to pull the trigger.

"Jake, listen, just hang in there and don't mess him up too much", Leon's voice rattled loudly through the cell he had to ear. "Don't kill him, we're getting to your location".

A part of Jake (a more ethical part) noted from a distance that Leon was right. After all, it had taken them almost forever to locate this Neo-Umbrella operative who was stalking them. This man had been dodgy but nervous people always make wrong turns. Just had this man had when he came too near.

"I don't know…please…don't shoot", the man cried out. "I don't know what you're talking about".

With a growl, Jake socked the man on the face, feeling soft cartilage give way under his fist. He reached for the holster at the man's belt, taking the handgun. Next, he went for a thorough search, wallet and all pockets. And came up empty on proving that this man worked for Neo-Umbrella.

"Why were you following me?" Jake hit the man again, this time not on the face. "You CIA or something?"

The man laughed breathlessly.

"You think you're on the right track", he grunted, his voice taunting. "There are more of us".

Behind them, someone yelled. Jake turned, a uniformed man running towards them, yelling out in Portuguese. He had to hurry this up.

Somewhere there was a gunshot. Too loud to be a handgun but it still did ring out past the business of the streets not far away.

"Jake? What happened? Jake?" Leon yelled more loudly.

"Somebody just took out our lead. Don't call me, I might be busy".

**THE PRESENT **

"I can't just give up on you", Jake stared at the ceiling of his cell. The three walls were filthy with scrawls and scribbles from the previous occupants. Sherry was standing in front of him, her back against the metal bars.

_She wasn't real_, he knew.

Nobody else can see her but him.

A migraine was starting itself, time was ticking and he was being locked up. For what? Well, nobody could blame them, the murder weapon was in his hands anyway. He glanced at Sherry, she who smiled back at him and did a little wave in a way of greeting (I'm back, sorry I missed out in everything). Grumbling under his breath, he took a glance at the man dozing behind a desk not far away. The local policemen didn't mind him talking, they wouldn't understand his condition anyway (In what he had assumed to be some kind of brain disorder that affiliates with sudden loss). Jake, however wasn't fluent in Portuguese but he did get the main idea of what he was supposed to do when he was first dragged into the small precinct, he just hoped that the rest would find him in time.

"Is that the shirt you wore from at least a month ago?" he asked her skeptically. "If I do recall your wardrobe, it would be much larger than mine".

"Jake, we both know you have at least five of that black attire you're wearing", she rolled her eyes. "I've seen them in your closet".

"You're starting to sound like my mother", Jake shot back, contemplating whether he should be bashing his head against the wall any moment now. "_Where the hell are they_?"

"Maybe you don't need to be saved, Jake", Sherry giggled.

"Why's that?" he asked, smugly.

She did a cat walk towards him, bend down to whisper her last words before fading away.

"Don't do this to me, Jake. You know the answer to why you obviously had to do it. Because you killed before and now we all know you _love_ it". He remembered the blood. How good it felt to kill someone who had deserved it all along. He wanted to defend what he had been doing, to justify that it was all for her, to just say anything to convince himself that he played the good guy all along. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up.

Outside, something crashed. Screams were starting out as he heard what sounded to be a rolling storm of chaos rising from the ground. They were too late, things were already starting up.

**FORTY EIGHT HOURS EARLIER**

_Thud_

His fist was starting to hurt now as it had collided on hard bone again.

"Tell us why you're here?" Leon asked through gritted teeth. When the man in front of them, refused to budge, he beckoned for Jake again. The younger man barely gave it a rest as he lunged at their captive yet again.

_Thud_

More hurt. More pain. More pointlessness.

It had been almost four hours since they had been interrogating their captive. There were no answers coming from their so called 'DSO' agent, not even any admission that he was actually working for the CIA.

"Tell you what, this guy's never gonna spill. I'd say we kill him and dump him somewhere", Jake suggested, looking a little too hopeful.

"And let it be a headache for the locals? Not going to happen", the older man shook his head. "Again, do you think you are that you can just waltz in and _lie_?"

No answer.

Jake pulled back a fist and released.

_Thud_

"This guy's ain't telling", Leon got out a towel and a five liter-ful of mineral water.

He gestured for Jake to brace the chair a little backwards (which was tough work) and draped the cloth over Savoy's face. Without a further word, Leon dumped an amount of water onto the man's towel covered face. There was a gasp before a lot of choking sounds ensued. They let Savoy up for a moment, let him catch his breath and asked him the same question. Savoy wouldn't say a thing. And they repeated the process again. Then, they'd question. Resistance just brought forth more near drowning experiences for Savoy. For them it was simple: rinse and repeat. Even if it didn't work fast, this torture would certainly break a man in time.

Now Jake understood why Leon had gotten out over forty minutes ago and came back with the two large containers of mineral water.

"Sixth time and still not budging, I'm impressed", Leon growled. They were about to start on the second five liters when the door to the room opened, making the two men freeze a little. Ada walked in, frowning at the two men.

"Hmmm…you two shouldn't have to resort in such tedious methods", she purred. "By the way, I've swept our room, it's clear. Now, I do have a little something for Hunter Savoy".

She ripped away the towel from their captive's face.

"Remember the C virus? I know you have been keeping tabs with what Neo-Umbrella has been doing these days, Mister Savoy, you don't have to lie. Though I do have a very personal question. You do know my affiliation with the company. Yes, I have seen how they have been doing some very naughty things", she told Savoy, who was starting to wheeze a little.

She laid a small case by his feet, she watched his expression as she opened the case and revealed an injector that would be very familiar for one who did their homework on Neo-Umbrella. Savoy, to her pleasure, began squirming in his seat once he saw the fluids in the injector. Jake glanced anxiously between Leon and Ada, not sure of the part he was playing. The way the older man looked, informed him that Ada was probably throwing them a curve ball.

"Ada, where did you get that?" Leon bristled.

"Shhh, ask no questions and I would tell no lies", Ada murmured. Brandishing the injector, she straddled him and waved it in front of Savoy so he'd get the point. "You have seen the pictures of those who turned into those creatures but that's different. I, on the other hand, have seen those transformations. You would first lose yourself and then when time comes, you will change drastically".

Savoy tried to move away as she grabbed hold of his neck. With a curled lip, she pressed the sharp needle to the mighty big syringe against his jugular.

"Now, if you're not going to tell us why you're here, I'm alright with that. But I have a proposition, you share your notes on the company. Tell us what you do know. Show us where they are", she whispered into his ear. "Or else, you would just have to find out how you might turn out as a real monster".

Savoy cringed.

"So what would your answer be?" she prompted him.

"I won't have to give anything", he laughed a very haggard laugh.

"And why's that?" Ada hissed, pressing the needle's end harder against his soft flesh, nicking him a little.

"You won't get to kill me after all. You'll need me", he said with as much conviction that he could muster. The others just stared at him as if he had lost his head.

"I have a good team awaiting me, they're…somewhere, our mission was to shut down the remaining Neo-Umbrella's facilities. You there numb nuts don't understand a single thing, do you? I was deliberately being caught so I could infiltrate them from the inside", he shouted.

"Yeah, fantastic job you were doing", Leon muttered.

"No, no, there's more. Someone is still financing the company, I can't find the damn bastard but I'm pretty sure he's also involved in the Kijuju incident. It wasn't just simple, you see, we had wind of someone providing for the Neo-Umbrella-we just didn't know who until recently", Savoy told them. "Now get this crazy lady off me".

"Not a chance, buster", Jake mused beside him. "Don't stop there, what was Neo-Umbrella's newest experiments that got you all so interested in it?"

"Remember the G-virus?" Savoy asked grimly.

Ada paled a little, reminded of her past experience in Raccoon City, when she was supposed to be retrieving the G-virus. Leon recoiled at the thought of the volatile virus being put on a wide scale (_remember the mutated William Birkin? Remember Curtis Miller?_) . Jake on the other hand looked passive but he scrambled on the inside to find a relation to why Sherry was missing and the company's new attempts on the G-virus.

"What about it?" Leon was the first to regain himself.

"The C-virus wasn't as much of a break through as compared to what William Birkin did with the G-virus. We'd thought that his daughter might have the same strand of genetic structure which could bond successfully with the live virus, unfortunately, we weren't the first ones to think that up too", Savoy said. "I think you all thought you had dealt first hand with Neo-Umbrella. I've read the reports from the Lanshiang and the Tall Oaks incident, I've studied them. They're just the distraction phase of this whole plan, testing on the development on their _other_ variations of viral weaponries".

"And what is this plan you know of?" Ada asked drily.

"It's pretty tasteless, actually", Savoy shrugged. "Neo-Umbrella's on the verge of discovering a controllable super human serum and your agent Sherry Birkin might just be the key to their solution".

Ada bit her lower lip and promptly got off Savoy's lap. She flung the injector across the room, watching the glass body of the object shatter spilling the cloudy fluid onto the carpet. She gave Leon a nod.

"Now we know", she muttered.

"Shit", Leon grunted. "Ada, I need to talk to you".

She followed him into the bathroom. Once inside, Leon turned on the shower to mask their conversation.

"What's your end game here, Ada?" he asked her. She paused. Observing how he looked at her, she noticed that he just wanted to know and there was no mistrust in his question.

"I'm helping out. I thought Neo-Umbrella ended with Carla, I guess I had mistaken", she murmured. "I didn't know about the rest Savoy had told us".

"The C-virus a moment ago?"

She smiled slyly. "Was just salt water. I don't think there would be immediate harm to us if I had injected him".

He chuckled at her answer. "Had me a heart attack back there".

"Hmm…we have other things to worry about, handsome", she murmured, taking a step closer to him.

"And you're just all this doing this for me?" he prodded further, stroking the side of her cheek.

She nodded, letting her answer remain wordless.

"Alright, now that we're past that. What are we going to do?" he leaned against the sink.

"Bring them down", Ada said without hesitation. "Before all of this goes south".

**THE PRESENT **

Jake tried the bars to his cell. The snoozing guard woke up to the sound of screams and gunfire. The man looked at Jake, said something in Spanish that would be equal to 'Stay here!' and went off to investigate the situation outside.

"Hey! Let me out of here!" Jake yelled in frustration. "Come back!"

"He won't listen", Sherry said humorously, sitting on the chair where the policeman once sat. "You should have paid attention more often to your language skills, makes it easier to get around".

"Go away", Jake sighed. "Unless you can get me out of here, say nothing".

"Oh, you're just sad, Jake", Sherry taunted. "You have never lost someone this close before and you're finding a way to deal with it".

"You're not dead, Sherry. You're not dead, not yet", he muttered. "You're only dead when I say you are".

"This gets really old", she pranced in front of him from the outside of his cell. "I wonder if it's still a shit storm out there".

There were several more gunshots that echoed from the outside then, sudden silence. Jake stalked the four corners of his cell, looking for anything he could use as a weapon in case if there was a BOW coming after him.

"Ah, cavalry's arrived", Sherry sang out in a sing song voice before she disappeared.

The door burst open, Savoy walked in with a sub machine gun in hand.

"Muller, you alright?" he called out.

"Just get me out of here", Jake sighed. "What's happening out there?"

Savoy just regarded him with his muddy green gaze.

"Madness".

**HALF AN HOUR EARLIER**

It was pandemonium below them.

Leon called out. "Savoy, we'll have to get Jake later".

He had never expected Neo-Umbrella to into such desperate measures in order to throw them off their tail. The crowd below them were starting to borderline pure chaos, a small handful of BOWs going after civilians without any discrimination. The hungry just went after anything that moved. From the rooftop, Leon felt as if he were no stranger to such a situation. Something flew at his direction. Immediately his instincts kicked in and he crouched.

"Watch out, snipers!" he called out to the other two.

Ada took aim and released a few rounds.

"We have to get Jake and get out now!" Savoy yelled through the ringing gunshots, moaning undead and continuous screaming.

"Can't leave this place like this", Leon shouted back. He kept shooting, hoping that by doing so, he could keep the other snipers distracted while Ada took them out. "There innocent lives here".

"We don't have time for that, _lover_", Ada said smugly.

"So, what?", Savoy let out a few rounds from his sub machine gun (knowing well that he would be missing any of their targets, accuracy's overrated anyway).

"Hear that, boys?" Ada called out.

Leon squinted at the horizon, hearing loud buzzing noises coming in from far. He noticed that there were choppers heading their way.

"What's that?" Savoy asked loudly.

"Company", Ada explained. "I took the liberty on calling the BSAA".

"Here's taken care of, let's go", Savoy demanded, dashing for the rooftop door. Leon gave Ada a questioning look, she nodded and followed Savoy.

**THE PRESENT **

"Keys. Keys. Keys…", Savoy grunted, going through drawers and cabinets. The keys to Jake's cell isn't anywhere.

"It's probably with the guard", Jake said urgently to him.

"Crap! Where did he go?" Savoy shouted, kicking the nearby desk.

Jake would've strangled that man if he weren't locked up. "Hell would I know? He probably went out to become zombie chow".

"It's not zombie out there", Ada corrected as she stalked in. "Classic BOWs or if you're familiar with their kind, Hunters".

"Hard to kill, makes it better", Jake mused. "Help him get the keys".

She gave Jake a hand flapping gesture of 'Stand Back', walking to the front of his cell. Pulling out her handgun, she took aim and fired at the lock. Two more tries and the rusty old gate swung open.

"Your lack of perspective is worrying", she muttered to the both of them. In a louder voice, "Leon's getting us a transport to the nearest airport. We get out while we can, before we get tied to this mess".

"They know", Jake told her.

Ada regarded him with a serious look.

"All the more we should hurry".

**Author's Note: Well, once again, thank you for the encouraging comments. I really do hope that there would be more incoming positive inputs: So, Reviews, please! : D**


	4. Interlude: Like a Bird in a Cage

**Author's Note: The characters involved in this fanfic ain't mine, even some of the unfamiliar ones. If you're still reading I would like to congratulate you. Since I do not incorporate any character deaths in my stories, some of you may give a sigh of relief or maybe groan and say '**_**well, there goes all the fun….**_**' but to tell you guys the truth, I can never ever kill off any of the main character. That would just be tasteless, people. So, here's a little something I'd put together in a short period of time…(like at least three hours of sitting in front of my PC actually writing and not multitasking or doing anything else but fully writing….which is considered a good improvement for my attention span).**

**I hope you all enjoy it, cause this little something was a piece that I had written a while back and I decided to incorporate it inside my DeCon series. Oh, and reviews please! : D**

**Degrading Conscience**

**Interlude: Like a Bird in a Cage**

Sherry had never slept _this _deeply before. Her head felt better, the headache having eased. She sat up, bare feet touching the polished hard wood floor of her bedroom. The sun was up in a way that told her that she had slept through the whole morning. She hadn't mind though, today, all she had to do was to spend some much deserved _alone time_. Away from work, away from stress, away from all the buzz. As she languidly made her way to freshen up, a crisp brown pile of fur twined around her legs, nearly tripping her.

"Hunter!" she scolded the cat, making loud disapproving noises. It didn't make a difference. The cat twined and purred with wide green eyes staring at her until she picked him up and promptly threw him out of her bedroom, in a loving manner of course (she loves him too much).

By the time she was dressed in a sundress and was ready to head out, her phone started to ring. With a drawn out sigh, she picked it up.

"What is it?" she asked, keeping poison from her voice.

"Uhm…Sherry, I really need to talk to you", _his _voice sounded a little desperate. Too desperate for her liking. "Would you be free tonight?"

"Look", she sighed. "I know that it's really not that hard to get around, being somebody from a family like yours, but I'm not interested, Jake. Don't get me wrong, you're alright. It's just that I find it hard to adjust with your folks".

"Hey, I'm really sorry about my 'rents. They just don't get around with people often", she noted that he really did sound a little apologetic.

"You mean people like me? Or is it just the fact that my Dad's a cop?" she asked drily. "You don't have to act like we had a great time. I sure didn't. I…I have to go, my Dad has been complaining about the phone bills. Bye!"

Not waiting for a reply, she slammed the receiver onto its cradle. Hunter meowed, not the hungry yowl he usually gave her but instead the 'I know what you're facing and I take pity in you' meow.

"You should've seen his folks, Hunty", she mumbled. Her last date hadn't been a great one, Jake had thought that it would be nice for her to get to know him personally, which meant going to a very high class charity function where most of the people that had been there were the richest citizens of Raccoon City. Mister Albert Wesker was one of the richest financiers that provided enough jobs to keep the city running, though Sherry had suspected that the money he'd gotten may have been something off some illegal trade of sort. She hadn't told anyone about her theory though, it would have been downright impossible to write about this matter without bringing a squad of SWAT team bowling over the front door to arrest her.

She could imagine what her father would say.

He hadn't been too happy when she told him that she'd wanted to be a journalist. He'd considered people from the media to be very nosy and always intruding on the cases he worked on. And as usual, she would always find a way to prove him wrong.

The knocking on the door brought her back from her stray thoughts.

"Who's this?" she called out.

"I forgot my keys", the answer came with a chuckle.

"You better do something about it, you're getting old, Dad", she said as she unlocked the front door. "Got some timing too, I was about to catch some sun".

Steely blue eyes met her clear as day blues. They weren't really related in a way, her real parents died in some freak car accident when she was merely two. Since that she had no one else to go to, Leon was listed as her guardian since her parents and him were close. That and the fact that her Aunt Claire (her other listed legal guardian) was also a little too busy for a two year old. It was funny though, they looked almost related. Once she did try to differentiate herself when she dyed her hair with magenta streaks so that she could show some sense of independence. Her adopted father just took it as some strange phase teenagers went through. Well, so long she wasn't being rebellious, self-discovery was still okay.

She helped him get some of the grocery bags he had, which was about three (one piled high with cat food for Hunter).

"So, you talked to her yet?" she prompted, eying him suspiciously.

"Uh…who are we talking about again?" Leon shoved the rest of the grocery bags onto the kitchen counter. "Help me out, I'm having some trouble here".

She giggled. "That lady friend next door, duh".

If she hadn't known him for this long, she wouldn't have caught the slight hesitation when he was unloading some cat food into the cupboard. "Oh…you meant Ada".

"U-huh", she nodded enthusiastically. "Don't you dare give me that you have a very marital relationship reprimanding job talk. Time for you to start worrying on settling down than catching petty criminals".

He just shook his head. "Yeah, do me a favor and ask those _married _fellow cops how many times they have spent their night on their couches?"

Walking over, he tweaked her nose.

"Alright, Miss Smarty-pants, don't you have your internship to deal with?" he warned with amusement in his voice.

"Didn't get fired on the first day too. Am I great or what?" Sherry smiled slyly. "So, uh…is Miss Hunnigan allowed to give me some scoops on what you're up to lately? Some reports would do fine".

"Honey, there's a reason why my department's called Internal Affairs which would definitely give you the idea that what I do is classified", Leon frowned. "Don't stick your nose in dangerous places, missy. That's how reporters get in trouble".

Groaning, she sat by the counter, "Yeah, it's not like you're gonna catch some real deal like you did with Chief Irons".

"And your point is?" Leon asked patiently.

"Well, no one these day would be that-", she showed him a bent index finger. "You won't be wrangling anyone else with that kind of reputation".

Chief Irons was the former (now retired) Police Chief in Raccoon City, his dealings with some of the 'investments' of those who wanted to get away with their dirt money was notorious, well, until some detective in Internal Affairs had the guts to expose all of Irons' dealings in the part to the open spotlight. That was how her father had made it big although that did come with a price. Sometimes, there would be a bullet or two that would arrive with the mail and sometimes, a squad car positioned outside their neighbourhood street. But they pulled through. She coped while he caught the bad cops and did whatever else he did that she wasn't aware of.

"You know that Jake kid called sometime this morning", he changed the subject.

It just made Sherry annoyed how he could do such a thing to her.

"And you gave me no heads up. Thank you very much, Dad", she said through gritted teeth.

"The kid giving you trouble?" he asked her in a very concerned tone.

Before she could reply, there was a very loud scream coming across the street. It was enough to stop her heart from beating for a few seconds as possibilities ran through her head. She glanced towards him, his reaction was much faster, having already retrieved his hadgun and was heading for the front door.

"Who was it?" Sherry asked. "What happened?"

"Stay inside", he cautioned her before going towards the screaming.

Then, of course, she didn't listen to him. It would be a trait she'd inherited from being around him, she learned that pure stubbornness and determination gets her far. The scream had come from a girl walking her dog. When Sherry had arrived not long after Leon, she spotted a figure hunched on somebody's lawn.

"Don't move!" Leon warned, his handgun aimed at the man. "Miss, are you alright?"

The young girl clutched at her wrist, blood trickling to the front of her shirt from her elbow. The dog, a miniature poodle, was yapping relentlessly. "I think he just bit me".

"Sherry, get her inside", Leon said in a hard voice. She was about to do as he said when she noticed that there was something wrong with the man who had bit the girl. He looked unresponsive, didn't seem to register to the handgun aimed at him. Her first impression was that this man was probably mad. Then, the man launched himself at Leon. Sherry gasped, getting a good whiff of desiccated flesh, the sweet smelly tang of rot.

"What the hell?!" Leon snarled, immediately kicking at one of the man's knees, stumbling his opponent. With a side sweep, he rammed the butt of his handgun onto the man's head. Pulling out plastic zip cuffs, he had the man bound and on his face.

"Sherry, how's she doing?" he turned. Just then, the girl fainted, Sherry barely managing to catch and if not for Leon's help, would have stumbled from the girl's dead weight.

"Not good", she managed to say. The man lying on the ground moaned. It wasn't the kind of moan people would give in remorse. No. His moan was just hollow. Lifeless. And it made her shiver at the sight of him.

It took about less than two hours before it was all over the news, reporters and journalists swarming the once quiet neighbourhood. The cannibal man who bit a girl walking her dog. Sherry didn't want to stick around to answer more questions since that she had been done with the police questioning. For once, she could agree with her father on his thoughts on the reporters of this city. Too bad that she was going to be one. They finally got home in one piece although it was now about evening.

"Hmph", Leon stared at the news, "They think he's a lunatic".

"What do you think?" Sherry asked, curled up in the sofa.

"Looked sick to me", he said. "You okay?"

She gave him a fragile smile and a small nod.

Someone was at the door, knocking loudly. Getting up, Leon called out an acknowledgement. She didn't have the mood to go see who it was. It might be one of those reporters asking for more questions.

"Claire", Leon said loud enough for Sherry to hear. "You're here?"

"You seem surprise, Leon", a teasing voice came from the front door.

"Heh, you don't come around much, that's why. Look um, it's a pretty bad time", he said in a hushed voice. Sherry pretended not to listen as he gave their visitor a rundown of the events earlier today.

"Hey, kid, you okay?" Claire sat down beside her.

"I'm fine".

_.._

_.._

_.._

_Something was chasing her. She could almost feel his hot breath tickling the hair behind her neck. Behind her, loud commotions and gunfire. This isn't her fight. She had to run. She had to hide. Adrenaline kicked in as she searched for somewhere she could hole up until help arrived. She just needed somewhere safe._

"_Sherry…", a deep growl came from behind, accompanied by loud footsteps. Too loud footsteps._

_All of her wanted to scream for it to leave her alone. Her instinct said to keep quiet and let it pass. What she had ran to seem familiar, some sort of building. The Raccoon City Police Department. She couldn't remember why she was there though, or why there were loud screams coming from the outside, partially masked by the police sirens._

"_Sherry…", the voice called out._

_She managed to get into a room which looked similar to one she'd seen before (she just couldn't tell when or how) and locked the door. _

"_Sherry…", it was near._

_She started to move the heavy desk towards the door, as a brace, but it was too heavy. Then, the door crashed open, part of it dangling by only one hinge as the rest is being ripped off. She stared at the beast standing by the door, a man which was twice the size of an ordinary man. He looked different, a little hunch backed but covered in some kind of thick hide. There was a large eyeball on its shoulder, constantly flicking around the room, until it caught sight of her._

_It gave a rumbled._

_Gasping, she immediately ducked behind the desk, hands over her mouth so that she could muffle any involuntary noises she made. _

"_Sherry…" it called out, nearing. Coming closer._

_No. No. No. No. NO!_

"_Sherry!" it said, so near that she could hear it's heavy breathing._

"Sherry, Sherry, wake up", she felt someone shaking her on her shoulder. Jerking awake, her shoulder collided with the car door painfully. She glanced at her surroundings, registering it as something familiar.

"Sorry, didn't sleep too well last night", she mumbled as she rightened herself. "So, I'll see you later?"

She did catch some concern in him, the way he looked at her as if he was considering not letting her go to work today.

"I'm fine, really", she said with some conviction.

Leon frowned and gave her nod. Flicking the lock to the car door open, he gave her a small peck on the top of her head. "Stay safe".

"Always", she shrugged.

Internship wasn't that fun. The Raccoon City Tribune was the local newspaper company, all she had to do was to do as she was told. She would catch her big break later. All the editor cared was that she would be covering all of her assigned coverage and submit her drafts early for checks. Next to her, the only journalist about her age was Jake, who she didn't like to linger around with. He was only kept around because he had a thrill seeking way of reporting on difficult matters around Raccoon City, he was also usually first to arrive on a scene. Otherwise, she had found him to be a complete jerk.

"Hey, we need to talk", a familiar voice hissed to her in the elevator. It was Jake with his messenger bag slung over his shoulders and a baseball cap pulled to cover his face.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked sharply at Jake.

"Just hear me out", he pleaded.

"No. I won't, Jake", she tried hard not to sound a least bit angry at him. "Please, we're not an item".

He let out a groan, "No, not about us. I need you to take hold of some of my reports, just keep them with you for a while".

"What are you up to?" she frowned as he pressed a storage device into her palm.

"Sherry, I love you and if anything happens to me, promise me you'll keep yourself well away", he said to her before leaving at a floor below hers.

"That…was…weird", she mumbled as she stared at the storage device. _What was Jake up to that got him so hyped up like that?_ It didn't trouble her though, Jake had always been a little strange after all. When she arrived, there was quite a commotion at the editor's office. There were men in black suits packing up boxes filled with papers, some clearing out a desk (which she had realised was Jake's).

"What's happening?" she asked the nearest watching person, who turned out to be the secretary of the head editor. The other woman just shrugged.

"Conspiracy theorists are going to have a hell of a time", one of the older reporters said. Sherry identified him as Chris, who were one of those who wrote for the sporting section.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Those bozos from Umbrella said that Jake dug into something he wasn't supposed to", Chris said.

"Umbrella?" Sherry mumbled to herself. The Umbrella Corporation was one of the largest corporate business in the city, having their main business in the field of producing new drugs and cures. Their building by the center of town was impressive, large and towering, displaying the symbol of a white and red colored umbrella. She thumbed at the storage device she still clutched in her hand, Jake probably did an expose on the company and had gone too far. Still, why does a pharmaceutical company care of what a lowly reporter reports?

"Take a day off, Sherry, there's nothing we can do", the editor told her, watching the men in suits in the fray of opening drawers and retrieving paperwork.

"What about-" she was cut off by the editor who insisted that she went home and assured her that it wouldn't affect her evaluation. Sherry did as she was told, though she would have to wait at least until lunch time to beg for a ride form her father.

Sitting at a nearby coffeehouse, she decided to take a look at what Jake had given her. Among the data files, there was a short message addressed to her.

SHERRY, UMBRELLA HAD LIED TO US.

She blinked a little.

_Right._

But as she gotten to read the rest, the truth Jake had found out was a little chilling.

**Author's Note: You're probably asking "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?! WHAT HAVE I JUST READ?" and I will only give you one clue 'Reality or **_**NOT**_**?'**

**Some of you would be like "WHAAAAAA…?" and I would say to thee in a very Yoda-like voice with my ears sticking out "Good Is, Patience. To Come, More Is".**

**Do the flipping of words, yourselves! *sticks out tongue***

**If there are some of you who are gamers out there and have fallen in love with the Resident Evil franchise through gaming and not watching the live action movies or reading fanfics because your friends demand you to, you may have noticed how much my fanfics sometimes are sometimes relevant to other games that I have played during the week when I'd publish my story. **

**Try to guess which I have been playing when I wrote this? (****clue is on the title****)**

_**The game's pretty recent in release and after playing, I have no clue to what I have done…as you can see, it was pretty engaging.**_


	5. Chapter 4: In the Company of Wolves

**Author's Note: I don't own these characters, they're all CAPCOMs and when some do not seem familiar, they would still not be mine actually(just from various sources…) Well, after that weird bit on the chapter before this one, I'm guessing you're all still going to look at me weirdly. I know. I know. It's a little confusing. But that's how good stories are told, all confusion would turn into clarity by the end of the story. Yeah, I'm also trying to garner some realization in my work pieces too, as you can see, by writing some of these stuff, I'm actually quite learning something about my writings…I know, self-monologue…carried away…I may write my author's note with something that does not have that much emphasis on the 'I' factor. I'll figure that one out sometime later. **

**Okay, from the last time that'a meaning Chapter 4:**

**A DSO agent, an international spy, a mercenary turned BSAA agent, oh, and a guest who isn't who he said he is who witnessed an attempted bio terror attack in Rio.**

**Now, they're in London. **

**It's a recipe for disaster.**

**But don't worry; there are **_**some**_** people around who could lend a hand.**

**Degrading Conscience**

**4. In the Company of Wolves**

**THREE DAYS AGO**

Leon landed on his knees with a grunt. He could not see past the material over his head. The sawed off barrel of the shotgun was still pressed against his back, and it would be a fatal blow if he was shot. No surprise there. It wasn't as if following any if Savoy's advice had done them any good. That man was a jinx, and Leon could swear by it. From Rio to the streets of London to an empty pub that came with a man prodding them with a shotgun. Bagged on the head, they were led down to some kind of cellar. It made no difference, though; he couldn't see a goddamn thing. Somewhere off there was a scuffle. Probably Jake or Ada, putting up a bit of resistance to show that they won't be backing down easily.

"It's all over the news", someone said, the man who had been part of the welcoming committee.

"Damn, it's going to be a busy night", the woman sighed. By her accent, she might be French. "Hunter's clean".

"Could'da told you", Savoy snorted. "Now, let them go. I've made some new friends and I like them better alive and intact".

"Nuh-uh, they don't look friendly", the other man said disapprovingly.

"Let me go and I'll show you friendly, pal", Jake rumbled somewhere nearby.

"We don't want any trouble. Your man, Savoy, told us that Neo-Umbrella's still around, we just wanted to get even with the company", Leon tried hard to be the one who's still reasonable despite the fact that he was pissed with these people, especially Savoy for getting them in such a situation.

"What is going on in here?" another voice demanded. "Who are these people?"

"Hunter brought them home", the French lady purred.

"Without knowing who they are", the man pointed out.

"Well, they seem like good people", Hunter justified.

"Fine", the newcomer sighed. "But show them a little of our well known hospitality, folks, after all we do need more recruits. What do you say about that?"

The sack on Leon's head was removed, the four people looking at him expectantly. He took a look at them, the French lady and the Mexican, he did not recognize but the other woman, he did. The time he had spent in collaboration with the BSAA a few years ago had introduced him to a bunch of new faces. And he wasn't that surprised that she was standing in front of him, wearing a trench coat and having her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Jill", he started. "Don't tell Chris anything".

"Hah, you know what? He did tell me about meeting you in Lanshiang", she said, pulling out a pocket knife and setting out to free him from his duct taped hands behind his back. "Something about you getting crazy over some lady".

"It was nothing", Leon muttered, glancing at Ada who shook her head a little. The things that had happened in China, remains unsaid between them, even Carla's deeds and death.

"Sure, whatever you say. You _are_ aware of Neo-Umbrella still being around", she said seriously.

"Well, some things don't always stay dead", he shrugged. "Or in our case, most things could be inclusive".

"Get yourselves upstairs and we'll compare notes", Jill said, from her tone, it was an order. Leon sighed with relief when he noticed that even easily hot-headed Jake obeyed Jill's command. The bar was still close as Jill led them to a backroom that consisted of a table and a few chairs.

"Take a seat", she motioned to them. "Carlos, get their stuff, will you?"

The man with the shotgun stalked out without saying anything else.

"Coffee?" Jill offered them, pouring herself a cup in the process.

Savoy promptly sat himself down onto a nearby couch as comfortably as he could and began to doze off.

"What is the BSAA doing here?" Jake beat Leon to the questions. "How the hell do you know that we're in London? Are you working with the CIA now?"

"Whoa, slow down a minute there. First things first, we're not the BSAA", Jill grinned.

Ada's sudden intake of breath could be heard. "So, what is the meaning of this?"

Jill held out a hand in a gesture for patience, taking a sip from her coffee mug, "We are after the man that had been practically untouchable for years. And we can't rely on the BSAA to get him, in fact no one can. I think this is the only way we can fix this".

"Let me guess, you're after a man named Fisk?" Ada asked.

"Yes. And if I may ask politely, how do you know him, Miss Wong?" Jill smiled warily.

"Not in a personal way, if you're assuming", Ada shot back.

Jake snickered.

"And once you get to him, how are you going to 'handle' the situation?" Leon asked sarcastically.

By the door, someone loaded a magazine into a rifle, with a very audible click. Everyone turned to the man that was sent to retrieve trio's equipment "Easy, we take him out".

"I couldn't agree any better", Jake remarked. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Carlos", the man said.

"That's all?" Leon prompted.

"He's Carlos Oliveira, helped me escape Raccoon City", Jill explained when the other man wasn't eager to say anything else. "He's good at what he does".

"That's expected since he works with Umbrella", Ada continued.

The reaction was immediate. Jake pulled up his chair from under him and got into a defensive position (chairs raised out towards Carlos legs first). Leon reached for a phantom gun by his holster, but came away with nothing when he recalled that all of their weapons had been taken when they were brought in.

"That was back in the day, lady, their healthcare was good. I recall you did have some dealing with them, too", Carlos said, aiming his rifle's sights at Jake. "Kid, don't let me remind you who has the upper hand here".

"Bring it on", Jake challenged.

"Enough", Jill raised her voice. "Stop it, both of you".

"Ah, boys and their toys", the French woman strolled in, tossing a lumpy pillow at the dozing Savoy, who scrambled awake when it landed on his face. "Carlos isn't always this uninteresting; give him some time to warm-up".

"That's Emilie Dominique, a trusted friend of mine", Jill introduced. "Now that we're all well acquainted, let's get back to business".

The table glowed and a holographic image of a man appeared.

"Next week, Mister Fisk is hosting an auction. Except he won't be selling off any of his antiques", Jill started. The man disappeared to show records and photographs of different types of BOWs. "These are his merchandise".

"Shit", Leon grunted. "He deals with bio-weapons?"

"A collector, some may say. I think he knows somebody's on his tail and he just wants to rid himself of his collection", Jill nodded. "If we managed to stop him before he pumps more of these stuff into the market, we could end this".

"Or get ourselves killed in the process", Jake drawled.

All of them glanced at him, giving him mixed reactions ranging to confusion, to anger to a look that meant 'You got any better ideas?' He didn't seem to mind as long as they didn't lead him to a death trap. Nobody would be able to find Sherry then.

"The young man is right", Emilie pursed her lips. "If we are unsuccessful, Fisk would give no rest until he has seen our corpses with his own eyes".

"_That_ and the event itself sounds like a trap", Ada pointed out.

"I can assure you that it isn't. The cover's pretty well made, even right down to its guest list", Jill said. "The expo hall has plenty of blind spots if anything does get hairy".

"Wait, how the hell can they be trading BOWs in the open like this?" Leon growled, glancing at the list of 'weapons' on the table.

"Easy, _cher_, because they're not. For anyone else, it's just old vases and other things you might find in my grandmama's attic", Emilie smiled pleasantly. "Oh, I do love elegant events like these, makes it all the better when we cause a stir".

"A week you say?" Leon grunted, looking at Jill.

She gave him a curt nod.

"Give us more time to be prepared", he remarked.

**THE PRESENT**

Leon couldn't help but stare at the dark streets. It beat looking at the empty ceiling if the apartment's bedroom. For him, it had been a long wait. They were lucky that Emilie owned the lease to the apartment building above the bar or else hunting for a place to hunker down would be a pain. Watching the news would just be downright depressing, most of it would just involve more reports on the investigation on who dunnit in Brazil (so, far no one had claimed responsibility for the bioterror act yet). Besides, he didn't want to wake Ada. She hadn't been sleeping too soundly for the past few nights, not that he has. It still amazed him that she was careful enough to keep a gun by her side while she slept.

"I can't promise that", a voice said softly somewhere behind him.

That was enough to snap Leon back into reality. He waited just in case he had heard something else entirely.

"Trust them? Of course, I don't", the voice said again, not too soft this time-just a hint louder.

Padding lightly barefoot to the front door, he checked it, making sure that it was secured. There were more words spoken in the dark, some inaudible from where he stood. Following the sound, he made his way to Jake's room.

"-barely could stay alive-we can't be like this, Sherry, we have to fight it", Leon heard Jake speaking, louder this time. The younger man must have assumed that the other occupants were asleep at this hour.

"I know, I know", Leon caught the last few words before it went quiet.

He glanced worriedly form Jake's door to the bedroom he shared with Ada. Maybe Ada was right, the kid had faced too much, maybe he was cracking. Jake's condition saddened him, it reminded him of Sherry – of him not be able to protect that bright young girl. Now she was gone and it had an impact deep on him but it seems he wasn't the only one _that_ deeply affected.

On the floor below them, Carlos watched over some recorded audio feed he had gotten from their new visitors from bugs hidden around the apartment above them.

"They won't be doing anything, Carlos, you'll be tiring yourself", Emilie murmured from beside him as he concentrated on what seems to be a one sided conversation.

"Precautions", he rumbled. After all, he hadn't survived this long just to go off by someone sneaking behind him with a gun. He needed a good ease of his paranoia, and to know more about their new friend other than the words coming from Jill Valentine's mouth (no matter how much he'd trusted that woman).

Emilie wasn't dissuaded by his words.

"If that woman finds out what you're doing, mark my words, love, you're dead", she murmured.

He looked at her with amusement, scoffing, "Jill? She wouldn't".

"I wasn't talking about her", Emilie shook her head. "I'm talking about the lady with the Asian descent. Miss Wong? She's dangerous".

"What?" he frowned, taking off his headset and setting it aside to focus on where their conversation was heading. Emilie looked serious, which was a rare occasion unless it was a really dour matter in their hands.

In a sort of reply, she handed him a pile of reports and sightings of the woman. Carlos flipped through them, skimming each page. He noted that Emilie was right, this was serious. Serious enough that they would have to probably tell Jill, though he was considering the fact whether it would be a good idea to do so if she would just overreact along with the rest of them. He set the bunch of papers aside, looking at Emilie who was awaiting his response.

"Well, this is gonna hurt, chica", he mumbled under his breath.

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry it took this long to actually write one crappy chapter. Truth is, I was having a bunch of exams and I had to postpone most of my story writing. Anyway, I'm back online and I'll be posting more often to make up for that during my holidays. I hope, I've kept the suspense rolling. Oh, and reviews would be much appreciated! :D**


	6. Chapter 5: Madness

**Author Note: All characters ain't mine, some are CAPCOM's truly and others are, well, from other different places (I'm actually considering an allocation of effort to write out a piece of reference to where I get those other characters from, next time, of course…) and yeah, it's been long since I've published something concrete, so here's it…**

**5. Madness**

Jill had ever been as pissed like this before.

The feeling of being betrayed as one of her oldest friends had actually hidden something (no, someone) from her. And it just happens to be that someone who had wrecked hell around the world not so long ago. And it wasn't that long ago, yet. Bioterrorism happen occur every moment and it heightens the effort to fight such occurrences, Jill had mostly done so most of her life since Raccoon City. Now, it seems like most of her efforts had gone to waste when she couldn't trust people she'd known once, or rather had thought she'd known.

Of course, on her side, her people did outnumber Leon's. It took them a minimal effort just to get the three of their visitors sitting, gagged in separate rooms for questioning. Thus came the hardest part of this confrontation, the search for the truth.

"Now, I don't want to hear your defend her, I want to know why you of all people are associated with this mess", she jabbed a finger at Leon's chest. "And don't you dare give me the 'you have no choice, it's the only way you could have done this' either. I don't want you to fall this low, Leon, not when your decisions could impact the people around you".

He looked at her as if considering her demands, gave a nod and leaned forward so that she could remove his gag.

"Got everything out of your system, yet?" he didn't look smug at all, so that might have saved him from getting his nose broken.

She nodded.

"I can explain", he began, his tone apologetic.

"You'd better", she muttered, glaring at him.

He let out a deep resigned sigh. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at her, "It's a long story and it's complicated".

"Well, start now or I'll let Chris beat the hell out of you", she said through gritted teeth. "Or I could do it myself".

And he told her.

Everything.

**MEANWHILE**

"You're wasting my time", Ada said smoothly as she glared at the French woman in front of her.

"I don't care", Emilie said easily, leaning back languidly on her chair with her tanned leather boots on the small wooden interrogation table.

"Who were you before?" she tried for another angle.

"A nobody", the other woman murmured.

A smile tinged Ada's lips. She had recognised the position this woman was in, a torn decision on doing the right thing or letting the whole world burn. This woman in front of her was on the fence, probably being dragged into this as some sort of penance against a past experience.

"Who were you before you got yourself in this?" Emilie asked out of sheer curiosity.

"A spy", Ada smiled. "Still am one".

"Oh", Emilie was speechless.

There was a loud shuffling sound coming from next door. Then, a thud like a soft flesh hitting the hardwood floor as if someone was being roughened up.

"Um, excuse me. Jill was specific that none of you were to be touched", Emilie said, walking out.

Once the other woman was outside, Ada tried her handcuffs again. It would have been fairly simple if she had something to work with to manage her escape.

"Well, I'll just have to get creative then", she murmured to herself.

**WHILE**

Jake watched over the two men who lay unconscious before him. Savoy went down easy but it was the other, Carlos, who had brought up a tougher fight than he had expected.

"You losers are too easy", he snorted, dropping his cuffs aside, kicking Savoy one side.

"Jill told you not to…", a woman said as she opened the door. Identifying that it wasn't Ada, he stood out of her view.

"What?" she was about to call out for help when Jake pulled her tight against him with a hand firmly over her mouth. His other hand, he had around her neck.

"Sorry, honey, I don't hurt women but if you don't tell me where you got Leon holed up, I will end you", he whispered into her ear. She struggled, but with a firm shake, she stopped.

"Hmm…this is an _improvement_", Ada crooned from the open doorway.

"Let's just find Leon", Jake growled.

"As you can see, it wasn't her", Leon said.

Jill messaged the bridge of her nose. "Ough. Damn you, Carlos, you paranoic idiot".

"Jill?" she heard him ask her, his voice filled with concern.

"Alright, I believe you. Not because of our past or what you've just told me but because of the kind of shit that would always hit us", Jill said tiredly, getting up, she removed his cuffs, "Now, if any of your team screws up our hard work, heads will roll".

"Thank you", he sighed.

Just then, the door swung open.

"Let him go now!" Jake yelled out, tightening his grip on Emilie. Ada had a knife in hand and was about to hurl it at Jill when she noticed that Leon wasn't cuffed.

"Care to explain that, Mister Kennedy?" Jill gestured at his 'rescuers'.

**Author's Note: Short and a little towards the funny side. Now that's aside, back to the seriousness of the situation. Oh, and uh reviews please. I need some more encouraging words before I can churn out something longer and more readable. So, if you wanna more of this series, reviews are demanded. **


	7. Chapter 6: Trial by Error

**Author's Note: None of these characters are mine, you know the usual drill. **

**Sorry for the delay. I went for a very long vacation away from writing and now I'm back. So, here goes.**

**Degrading Conscience**

**Chapter 6: Trial by Error**

Ada Wong in the guise of a rich heiress, walked elegantly among the crowd. She had not garnered any interest in the motives of these people buying the merchandises but she did notice that not all of these people come from the States. The hall itself was large enough and if a potential disaster arose, she would have enough cover to avoid the danger.

She eyed the man beside her, Jake Muller who was to be her 'bodyguard' for the event tonight. As if she needed one, but it was the only cover they could come up with and when Leon didn't quite fit in with the rest, Jake would have to be the suitable candidate. Not that she was complaining. The less Fisk saw Leon, the more convinced she was that the monster would ever get to lay a finger on her beloved.

"Well, it looks like everyone who has a stake against the world is here", she purred, to Jake and her comm as they stood amongst the crowd. She wasn't so surprise with the presence of emissaries sent by rich warlords, drug lords or any other sort of scum who would think that bio weapons were a frontier to a better warfare advantage. This might do more harm than good.

But people were people. And there would always be fickle people to deal with.

"Focus on the event, Ada", Jill said through the comm link, sounding a little weary. After all, that woman had spent most of her sleepless nights in anticipation of this event. This would be their only open window on getting Fisk for what he had done.

"But of course", Ada murmured.

"Security isn't as tight as it should be", Leon said through the comm system. "There are some people who aren't aware of the event".

"No worries, Leon. We're just going after him", Jill assured him. "Lay low and wait".

"Miss Wong", a voice bellowed from behind her, making Ada freeze momentarily on the spot. She should've guessed that there would be some familiar faces among the crowd. Before she could decide whether fleeing with her grappling gun was a good idea to avoid any attention, she was swept into a tight hug. Jake could have hardly enough time to react to the stranger's actions.

"My and I thought Derek had been the enthusiast. I hadn't expected you to actually show up", she murmured. "Jake, do you remember Dave?"

A knowing look ran through Jake. It had been quite a while since he had worked with that familiar face thought that would definitely make a good story sometime later-it was just safe to say that he had earned Jake's trust. Going simply by Dave, this Brit was one of the best arms dealers and had enough working experience with Ada to know her preferences in her weapons order.

"You called", Dave grinned. "Fill me in and don't you dare spare me the details".

"Wait, who is he?" Emilie bristled through the comm link.

"He's alright", Ada murmured. To Dave, she said, "The details can wait. The auction is starting. Here, Jill manages our little troop so she calls the shots, take care of them".

She dug out the comm from her ear and promptly handed it to Dave. Without any further notion, she was off with Jake on her heels.

"Leon, tell you girlfriend to stop whatever she's doing", Jill's sharp voice blaring through the comm hurt his ears. He was sure that his hearing wouldn't be the same again after this mission, maybe he had gotten used to Hunnigan's firm but in a way gentle voice. Not Jill almost screaming her head off through the comm link.

"Easy there", Jake drawled. "We've got something".

"What's going on?" Carlos looked more than baffled. The man swore that this was the last time he was working in a team.

"Stick to our jobs, she'll update us later", Leon told the Mexican, as the both of them kept watch on the trucks at the loading bay. None of them seem to be transporting anything heavy say for example a cageful of live BOWs-which would be obvious enough an excuse for some ass-kicking. No such luck. That alone was disappointing. It meant that they would have to keep watch for the whole night and more scavenging for proof later on. If they needed concrete evidence to charge the whole lot of guests who were involved in the transactions, they needed to trace the funds. And no doubt Mr Fisk was a very hard man to catch.

"Jill, anything on your side?" Carlos asked.

"No", her reply was brief.

Through his comm, Leon heard Ada letting out a bout of harsh laughter. It only lasted for a short moment and then her voice almost in a very taunting manner. "Of course, he wouldn't be gracing us with his presence. He wouldn't even send his thug of a henchman to do the job".

Then the link was cut off.

"Shit", Carlos muttered under his breath when he realised what was to come. "He ain't getting clients, Jill. He's eliminating competition".

"Go, now!" Leon shouted, slamming the car door behind him.

"What-" Jill was cut off by the sounds of screaming coming from the hall along with the familiar hair raising moan of the undead.

**MEANWHILE**

When Jake had caught up with Ada at the cornering of the large white hallway leading to the outside of the expo hall, he came to a halt with a large gun pointed under his nose by men who considered themselves mercenaries. He had sided with them once but since he had found his purpose in life, he hadn't given much thought about his old life. Ada was in the clutches of a big bear of a Russian, Jake couldn't recognise the man but by the pissed off expression coming from Ada, he knew that she did.

"Well, having a party, huh?" he muttered under his breath. "Does it matter if I didn't want to come along peacefully?"

"She dies", the Russian grunted, holding out a handgun against Ada's temple. "Your communication, please".

"Sorry, don't get you past that thick accent, pal", Jake smirked, despite a lot of slight disapproving gestures coming from Ada. One of the thugs standing next to him cuffed him on his head. Snarling his outrage, Jake threw a fist at the nearest assailant. His effort went wasted when the Russian gestured for more of the thugs to wrestle the young BSAA agent down on his knees.

"Like I said, your communications, now", the Russian said slowly.

Digging into his right ear, he tugged out the comm device and threw it at the larger man who caught it nonetheless. He had never felt so much hatred for a human being when he witnessed the other man yank the spy by her hair.

"Any last words to your friends?" the man asked mockingly, holding the comm device by Ada's mouth.

Ada had been through more hell than this. She wasn't as much as unphased by what she was going through. Instead, she let out a loud cackle. It made Jake a little uneasy since that he was unaccustomed to hearing her laugh like this.

"Of course, he wouldn't be gracing us with his presence. He wouldn't even send his thug of a henchman to do the job", she said into the device, her eyes in the Russian. The man scowled, dropping the small device onto the floor and crushing it with the toe of his combat boots.

"Initiate phase two", the Russian said.

Ada was in a very suicidal mood at the moment, even if she was in the grips of the ham sized fists of the monster. "Tell your boss that he's a coward for not doing this himself".

"You will get that chance, kitten", in a swift motion, Ada was slammed head first into the nearest wall. It would have been a blessing if she had just lost consciousness outright. Instead, she found herself in the grips of a very bad concussion which sent the floor spinning under her feet. The Russian released the spy to one of his men.

"Take them alive", the man ordered. "They may be of some use to us".

Jake could do nothing but follow. If he were to get Ada out of this mess, he would have to be there with her.

All was going to hell for Emilie Dominique. She had never in her life come across a bio-terror attack let alone been stuck in the middle of it. Around her, disaster was approaching. There were guests who were infected which still laid unmoving while the freshly infected were mowing down any moving life form.

"Uh, a little help here?" she called out desperately into her comm.

"Miss, are you Emilie?" a man asked, he had a gun and was standing beside her casually as if there wasn't any viral outbreak occurring around them. There was something Bond-like about him, no pun intended although he has a distinct British accent. She could only give him a nod in reply.

"Then, come with me if you want to live", he offered her a hand. "Name's Dave, by the way".

They started to make their way outside, despite most of the ones who weren't infected were already stampeding towards the nearest exit points.

"Wait, Ada and Jake are still inside there", Emilie tugged him back towards the building.

"Not anymore, love", Dave shook his head as he led her away from the scene.

"What do you mean?" she spluttered. "They are off link. How are we going to track them?"

"Good thing that smart lass got a tracker", Dave grinned back.

**Author's Note: Yeah, really tired, this came to me like in 2am in the morning, and was typed out around that time…**


End file.
